PRIVATE SCHOOL PRIORITIES

Addressing the lingering effects of COVID-19 on students and how the virus interrupted learning routines remains a top priority for administrators on the North Shore, who continue to focus on providing mental and emotion health support for students.

Technology has also become a more integral part of the learning process but continues to be a disruptor with the introduction of new tools such as artificial intelligence (AI).

For religiously affiliated schools, administrators have found the search for a deeper meaning of faith among students and parents in response to our increasingly tumultuous world.

All of these are issues that emerged in conversations with school administrators this week as The North Shore Weekend sought to gain a clearer picture of the current landscape of private education in the region.

“Lake Forest Country Day School (LFCDS) has been spending a lot of time focused on Universal Design Learning (UDL) this year. It was the focus of our faculty retreat last summer and has been a theme we’ve covered at our faculty professional development days,” says Alex Sheridan, Director of Enrollment, Marketing, and Financial Aid for LFCDS. “This week, LFCDS will be hosting a conference on the topic. Last year’s topic was AI.”

David Muniz, the Director of Technology at LFCDS, has spearheaded the school’s UDL and also its two technology conferences, which bring in experts who share their knowledge with educators from around the Chicago area.

“My background before education was in multimedia and using technology in very creative ways,” Muniz says. “My whole way of thinking about teaching and learning is that the value of technology can bring that about. The technology can empower you to do things you otherwise couldn’t. That connects directly to the transformative power of technology.”

He says that what LFCDS as a school has been doing is thinking about what the environment needs to look like for quality learning to take place.

“I think our teachers are already very oriented to this idea,” he adds. “The basic premise of universal design is that you push the edges. You can aim for the middle, but it accommodates all of the kids in the classroom. That’s really how we’ve been thinking about.”

Tom Flemma, Head of School at North Shore Country Day school (NSCD) in Winnetka, says a big undertaking for the school this year was integrating AI into its teaching and learning. AI offers both tools for administrators, but the school also sees an opportunity to educate students about how to use it properly.

“For us the purpose is pretty clear in that we see that our whole goal is to make sure that students are exceptionally well prepared to thrive in a world that’s always changing,” Flemma says. “We’ve developed a skills curriculum, and we teach an understanding of the role AI is going to play in the world. That is something we have been paying a lot of attention to the last year.”

At Sacred Heart School in Winnetka, administrators remain focused on providing post-COVID-19 social and emotional development to both parents and students. They’re also seeing a trend in the desire to more integrate faith into the learning process, perhaps also related to the pandemic.

With new tools such as AI, Sacred Heart administrators also seek to strike a balance between educating students about emerging technologies and other more traditional skills, such as handwriting.

Administers say, interestingly, that many of the Sacred Heart “answers” to trends turned out to be strengths the school already possessed—many of them directly tied to being a smaller school.

“A positive trend we are seeing is that families seem to be looking for faith-based learning and a smaller, family-like atmosphere more now,” says Sacred Heart Assistant Principal and school parent Jennifer Sullivan. “We are able to partner closely with our parents through our shared values and our emphasis on faith-based learning.”

“Teachers really know their students here, who want a sense of community and place to belong,” says Kindergarten teacher and Early Childhood Education Coordinator Laura Wettersen. “We make social-emotional learning a premium from preschool through 8th grade.”

The school also maintains a robust support staff who are able to support all angles of the whole child.

“I like that we call them support staff, because really that’s what they are. It’s not just the chronic learning challenges that benefit from support, but also maybe someone needs a little extra help in math, or someone needs a more advanced opportunity,” says Wettersen. “It’s really both ends of the spectrum that our specialists support.”

At Winnetka’s School of Saints Faith Hope & Charity Principal Tom Meagher says the school has received feedback over the past couple of years from families about how they value its traditional approach to academics.

“We combine the most innovative teaching methods with best of a traditional, Catholic education,” Meagher says. “Instruction is aligned with researchbased best practices, while our continued focus on core skills—supplemented by the responsible use of technology—helps prepare our students for high school and beyond.”

Meagher says they have heard concerns from families about increased use of personal devices and what the school can do to ensure students are utilizing them responsibly.

“As a result, we have taken steps including the safekeeping of personal devices during the school day,” he says. “We’ve also invited presenters from local law enforcement, and Safe Social Network to speak to our students about the responsible use of devices and social media. This is a topic that will continue to be a focus for us.”

“I think the biggest trend we are seeing at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is the increasing need to focus on our students’ digital literacy,” says Susan Dempf, Head of School. “AI and Chat GPT (or long form text generation) has the potential to transform the way people are and will interact with information.”

Dempf says it is essential that students become savvy consumers of digital content so that they can discern the validity of the information being presented.

“Teachers at Woodlands are embracing this technology and modeling effective, and academically appropriate, ways to employ it in the classroom,” says Dempf. “For example, teachers are using it with their students to brainstorm essay topics, create multiple discussion prompts, and to generate practice math problems involving quadratic equations.” Additionally, with evolving technologies, Woodlands is remaining alert to the changing understanding of what being prepared for one’s future means for current high school students.

“In their lifetime, today’s high school students will live, work, and contribute to a world that is increasingly connected and interdependent,” she says. “We prepare students to adeptly engage in our multicultural, multilingual world. We believe that learning how others live, learn, and view common problems supports our students’ readiness to not only launch into, but thrive in, a global society.”

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LAKE FOREST COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL

WEBSITE: lfcds.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 400
GRADES: Age 2 to Grade 8
TUITION: $5,925-$37,710
DEAN/HEAD TEACHER: John Melton, Head of School
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: None
ADMISSIONS: The LFCDS admission process seeks to identify families who value the spirit of partnership with their school and are drawn to a program that develops the whole child. For additional information, prospective families should contact the admission office at 847-615-6151.
CONTACT: Alex Sheridan, Director of Enrollment, Marketing & Financial Aid
EMAIL: [email protected]

ABOUT US: For over 130 years, LFCDS has offered a program that is rich in tradition and honors the progressive roots of the Country Day school movement. Students benefit from an experience that blends philosophies and pedagogical approaches, strikes a balance in academic and social-emotional development, and nurtures palpable feelings of belonging.
ACADEMICS: A blended approach to learning allows LFCDS to subscribe to best practice while offering a curriculum that meets each child where they are. Small by design, with classes between 12 to 15 students and 7:1 student-teacher ratio across the school, size enables LFCDS the ability to individualize and differentiate based on student interest and need.
CO-CURRICULAR ENRICHMENT/ARTS & ATHLETICS: The LFCDS program builds participation in the arts and athletics directly into the school day. Students participate in visual arts and music at every grade level, and drama is added for students in the Upper School (Grades 5-8). The athletic program is also a requirement for Upper School students, who are able to participate on three different teams during the course of the year. Teams meet at the end of the school day before dismissal, which not only gives students the opportunity to develop their skills and hone their sense of sportsmanship, but also to appreciate the value of participation and inclusion.
CULTURE AND COMMUNITY: There is a strong sense of connectedness that lives across the school’s 33-acre campus and 150,000 sq. foot building that binds the entire LFCDS community. Relationships among students, parents, and teachers live at the center of the LFCDS experience and carry on long after graduation.
OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS: LFCDS has families from over 30 zip codes, commuting from as far south as Willowbrook and as far north as Lake Villa.

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WOODLANDS ACADEMY OF THE SACRED HEART

WEBSITE: woodlandsacademy.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 130
AGES: 14-18
TUITION: $32,985 (day student)
DEAN/HEAD TEACHER: Susan Tyree Dempf, Ph.D.
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Catholic
ENTRANCE PROCEDURE: Prospective students and their families start the process by filling out an Admission Inquiry form on the school’s website. They can then schedule a personal tour and student visit day, allowing the prospective student to experience the spirit and energy Woodlands Academy students possess in the classroom. The next steps are to fill out an online application, apply for financial aid, and register for an entrance exam. All these steps can be completed by clicking on “Admission” at the top of school’s homepage, and then selecting “Visit and Apply.”
CONTACT: Greg Lobe
PHONE: 847-234-4300
TOURS: Personal tours of the school are available most days classes are in session. Contact [email protected] to schedule a visit.

CURRICULUM: Consistent with the Goals and Criteria for Sacred Heart education, Woodlands Academy’s Academic Program instills a deep respect for intellectual values, allowing students to engage in challenging experiences that inspire intellectual curiosity, a global mindset, and a life-long love of learning.
ENRICHMENT: The Woodlands Academy Center for Global Studies is a comprehensive academic and experiential program that provides EVERY student with a global education during her time at Woodlands. Students will have multiple opportunities to become culturally competent, globally minded citizens by exploring their world through group and individual exchange programs, group trips, and a locally based global-focused curriculum. Woodlands’ beautiful 41-acre Lake Forest campus is dotted with trees and green spaces, along with five newly constructed tennis courts and an enhanced athletic field. Extracurricular opportunities include a wide range of sports, two dozen student-run clubs—including competitive engineering and math clubs—multiple choirs, a theater program, and a full orchestra.
CULTURE & COMMUNITY: Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, college-preparatory, day and boarding high school designed to cultivate the gifts of each student and to allow intelligent, interested, and energetic young women to thrive. It is part of a network of 25 Sacred Heart schools in the U.S. and Canada and more than 155 schools worldwide. Woodlands is a place where young women can find a learning environment that is demanding, comfortable, joyful, and inspiring.
OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS: Woodlands Academy has once again been named Illinois’ top all-girls high school in the 2024 report by Niche, an independent research company, which additionally ranks Woodlands #1 Best Catholic High School in Illinois and among the top 10 of all private high schools in the state. Woodlands was also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School.

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THE SCHOOL OF SAINTS FAITH, HOPE & CHARITY

WEBSITE: faithhopeschool.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 280
GRADES: Pre-k (ages 3 and 4), K-8
TUITION: Varies
DEAN/HEAD TEACHER: Tom Meagher Ed.D., Principal
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Roman Catholic, Saints Faith, Hope & Charity Catholic Parish
ADMISSIONS: New families are invited to schedule a tour of the school and campus. Inquiries and applications may be made via the school website.
CONTACT: Linda Ransford, Recruitment Manager
EMAIL: [email protected]

ABOUT US: The School of Saints Faith, Hope & Charity offers students an exceptional academic experience, grounded in faith. A multiple National Blue Ribbon Award recipient (2014 & 2023), FHC offers leading edge curriculum, advanced classes for middle school, a Learning Lab to meet the needs of students at all levels, a school counselor, and more.
ACADEMICS: Beginning in kindergarten, we follow the Science of Reading approach to Reading, Writing and Phonics. Math classes are vertically aligned through all grades with a focus on students having the ability to master Algebra 1 prior to graduating. iReady Assessments are utilized to measure students’ academic attainment and growth. Faith is woven into each school day, and a school mass is celebrated once a week.
ENRICHMENT/ARTS & ATHLETICS: We offer an extensive interscholastic program including boys’ and girls’ basketball, volleyball, track and golf; as well as boys’ football. A variety of after-school enrichment programs are also available. Our Fine Arts program offers students high quality music, art, and world language instruction.
CULTURE AND COMMUNITY: We’re supported by an extremely dedicated and caring community of families; and we connect new families with current families in similar grades. Events such as the Bulldog Ball, Field Day, May Crowning and Hope Ceremonies help bring our community together.
OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS:

• 2-time recipient of the National Blue Ribbon School Award
• Experienced faculty, staff and leadership team.
• Neighborhood and community-based environment.
• Engaging and challenging academics.
• Spiritual nourishment that supports the whole child.
• Families that connect closely with our school.

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NORTH SHORE COUNTRY DAY

WEBSITE: nscds.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 540
GRADES: JK-12
TUITION: $24,055-$40,220
HEAD TEACHER: Tom Flemma, Head of School
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: N/A
ENTRANCE PROCEDURE: As part of the admission process, all families submit an application, fee and letters of recommendation, and participate in a student/parent interview. The application and information collected varies by the grade of the student’s entry.
CONTACT: Mullery Doar, Director of Admissions and Financial Aid
EMAIL: [email protected]
OPEN: nscds.org/welcome
In-person tours and visits by appointment only. Please contact the Admissions Office to schedule.

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SCHOOL OF ST. MARY

WEBSITE: schoolofstmary.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: 430
GRADES: PreK 2-through 8th Grade
TUITION: Tuition varies within the range of $4,000 – $13,000. Multiple siblings, military, and parishioner discounts are available.
DEAN/HEAD TEACHER: Mrs. Kathy Thompson
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Catholic
ADMISSIONS: Online applications open in November (see website)
CONTACT: Mandy Castle, Director of Admissions
EMAIL: [email protected]
TOURS: Call to schedule or complete the online inquiry form on our website.

CURRICULUM: From the youngest Primary Grade Center preschooler to the most mature 8th-grader at the Upper Grade Center, a School of St. Mary (SOSM) Crusader demonstrates genuine school pride, a sense of community, personal confidence, Catholic values, and a deep commitment to serving others. Since 1917, SOSM has remained committed to educating the whole child within and beyond the classroom.
ENRICHMENT: Accelerated reading and math programs in middle school allow students to move beyond grade level as they prepare for high school. Extracurricular activities allow students to further their education and focus on their non-academic interests, forming well-rounded individuals.
CULTURE & COMMUNITY: The School of St. Mary partners with parents, parishioners, and staff to form a vibrant school community that engages, motivates, and supports students to be the best they can be! An active Parents Association and leadership team coordinates special events to engage students, build relationships, and broaden the community. Teachers pair Upper Grade Center students with buddies from our Primary Grade Center to mentor and assist them at school-related activities, including praying together at Mass, socializing at lunch, and sharing service projects.
LEADERSHIP: Mrs. Kathy Thompson, the principal, has served in many capacities at the school for twenty-six years. In April of 2022, she received the prestigious Lead, Learn, Program Award from the National Catholic Education Association. Overseeing two age-appropriate campuses, Mrs. Thompson regularly collaborates with a strong administrative team to focus on the development of the whole child, assuring faith formation, academic excellence, service learning, social and emotional wellness, as well as values for life.
OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS:

• Three-time recipient of the U.S. Department of Education Blue Ribbon award in the category of academic excellence. Only 38 private schools in the country have ever received this award three times..
• Two campuses provide age-appropriate learning as well as social-emotional well-being.
• Our 100-year history of traditions and adaptations.
• Small class sizes mean students get differentiated curriculum to each their highest potential.
• Resource room to accommodate most student needs.
• Covering two-year old through 8th grade allows students to stay within SOSM Family for their elementary years. Allowing them to be known and nurtured as they grow into their true selves.

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SACRED HEART SCHOOL

WEBSITE: shwschool.org
NUMBER OF STUDENTS: Approximately 175
GRADES: 3-year-old Preschool through 8th Grade
TUITION: $7,750 before new family incentives and sibling discounts. Financial aid also available.
DEAN/HEAD TEACHER: Mrs. Jodi Reuter, Principal
RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Catholic
ENTRANCE PROCEDURE: Schedule a tour and apply online.
CONTACT: Mrs. Jennifer Sullivan, Vice Principal
EMAIL: [email protected]
OPEN HOUSE & TOURS: Open House, Sunday April 21st from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm

CURRICULUM: Sacred Heart provides children with a rigorous, values-based educational experience where teachers and parents strive to ensure that students in PreK-8th grade discover – and retain – the joy of discovery and learning. All students experience music, art, PE, library, STEAM, and Spanish as a part of the regular school day. In addition to exceptional academics, as recognized by our National Blue Ribbon of Educational Excellence, 9X Apple Distinguished School designation, and consistent A+ rating on Niche, we also place great importance on faith-inspired values including kindness, compassion, empathy, and peaceful problem-solving. Acceptance into top-choice high schools and colleges is just the beginning. Creating an exceptional, well-rounded human being is the end goal.
ENRICHMENT: We offer year-round, no-cut sports, a renowned theatrical program in collaboration with a London-based playwright, a variety of after-school enrichment programs (beginning in 3-year-old Preschool), and a teacher-staffed Homework Lab. For students who need a little extra help, whether it’s temporary or long-term, we also have a robust student services department, inclusive of a school counselor, math and reading specialists, and a speech pathologist.
CULTURE & COMMUNITY: Sacred Heart is a community where lifelong friendships bloom amongst our students and our parents. We all see ourselves as members of a family who care for one another and who are always at the ready to help each other out. We strive to instill values in our children that are derived from our faith, including concepts such as: Everyone is important, everyone is entitled to dignity, everyone contributes to the greater whole, challenges are but opportunities in disguise. And while we are a catholic school, we enthusiastically welcome students of all faiths with open arms.
NEW TO YOUR SCHOOL: Several scheduling options for preschool and JK classes, as well as options to extend the day as needed. This year, we also launched a fantastic athletic program called “Viking Fit” in partnership with MECA Personal Trainers, open to students in 4th – 8th grades with sessions three times a week.
OUTSTANDING CHARACTERISTICS: As a National Blue Ribbon Award-winning school, Sacred Heart School continues its long tradition of educating inspiring minds and shaping hearts. Strong academics, meaningful service, inviting community, and innovative technology are all at the core of the Sacred Heart experience.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Sacred Heart Northshore is a welcoming, faith-based school for children from preschool to 8th grade. We believe in developing the whole, unique student; and we do this by offering a safe and supportive community, personalizing the academic experience, and teaching faith-inspired values through everyday moments.